Where to Eat Vegan: Blaze, Fremont

Believe it or not, my best friend and I exchanged holiday gifts just last week. My best friend, Lhen visited the Philippines so I had to wait for her to come back. Meeting up for the holidays has become our tradition; we would meet up, eat good food, exchange gifts, catch up with what’s new, and reminisce the good old days. This year, we went to Blaze Pizza in Fremont.

I heard that Blaze Pizza has good vegan options. Good thing Lhen was down for whatever and didn’t mind my suggestion. She later admitted though that at first she was doubting the vegan pizza would taste good. Despite her doubts, she ordered a half vegan pizza so she could share it with me. Much to our surprise, vegan pizzas at Blaze taste phenomenal.

Blaze PIzza in Fremont (By the Automall, Pacific Commons)

The staff was very knowledgeable about what’s vegan and what’s not. In fact, the server asked if I want her to change her gloves so it won’t be contaminated with meat. I was taken aback then happily said yes. The only time when somebody asked me that was at an ice cream place called C.R.E.A.M. I guess times are changing? I certainly hope so!

I went on Blaze’s website to double-check if the vegan options are indeed vegan. Here’s what it says under the FAQ page: “our traditional pizza crust is made simply from filtered water, unbleached flour, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and a touch of sugar. (Our gluten-free dough is also vegan). We offer a vegan cheese option (soy-free), and, of course, none of our vegetable toppings contain any meat, egg, or dairy products”.

Seamless assembly line of staff makes it quick and easy to order

With the “build your own pizza” option, you could choose any sauce and any number of toppings for one set price.

Blaze’s Gluten-free dough.

Blaze Pizza prides itself on its fast service including the baking process, which takes only three minutes! I guess the secret is the combination of super thin crust and extremely hot oven. But for me, I don’t really mind waiting. I think the best part aside from the vegan options is that you could keep asking for more toppings at no extra charge! Okay…I’m not sure if it was just that server being extra nice that day but I kept asking for more olives and artichokes and I wasn’t charged extra for them. It felt like a buffet. The toppings got thicker than the dough.

My 11-inch pizza came out with my favorite toppings including mushrooms, extra servings of olives (black and kalamata), extra servings of artichokes, basil, roasted garlic, classic red sauce, and vegan cheese.

And just like that, it was gone, with few roasted garlic left. Oh, did you notice that? It says “vegan cutter” marked on the paper. It’s nice to know that the staff uses a separate cutter for vegan pizzas. I think I may have found my trusted vegan pizza place!

Lhen also finished her pizza. For her vegan half, it had mushrooms, pineapple, artichoke, olives, roasted garlic, vegan cheese, and red sauce -with a little of bit of extra serving of each.

As for our gifts, I gave her a set of cruelty-free skin care and a box of my homemade Bibingka; she gave me a nice package of gloves, purses, vegan eye shadow palette, and a style book from the Philippines.

After our lunch, we headed to a nearby beauty store, Ulta and browsed around for bargains. I bought a vegan hair conditioner that was 50% off plus a free pump! But I’ll save that review for a future post.

Blaze Pizza
Multiple locations
www.blazepizza.com

I went to this location:
43831 Pacific Commons Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 651-2171